Does procollagen peptide III (PCP-III) predict susceptibility to lung injury after cardiac surgery?

Some patients become unwell with breathing problems following heart-surgery. This can be as a
result of the surgery or the supportive techniques used during the operation. Breathing problems
range from mild to life threatening, with some patients requiring extra support from a ventilator. It
is difficult to predict which patients will develop difficulties. This study will analyse blood samples
already collected from heart-surgery patients to see if we can predict before the operation which
patients will develop breathing problems. In the future this may allow care to be tailored for
individual patients with the aim of preventing post-operative breathing problems.